Reading Scripture

The Scriptures are not a "secret code" book that have hidden details that we are required to slice up and discover what are the inner truths that God is hiding from us. I know that may sound odd if you are a cradle Catholic, but if you spent any time in protestant circles, you will recognize it. This is (with varying specifics) the way that most protestant denominations approach the Scriptures. I do not write this as a point to be "bashing protestants", but to clarify that the wrong view of what the Scriptures are has caused numerous errors in people who want to read the Scriptures.

The proof of this is most simple. The books of the Bible are "Psalms" and "Genesis", and not "The Science of the Creation of Adam and Eve"; "St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans" and "The Gospel According to John", and not "The Chronology of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ at the End of History". The books of the Bible, all of them, were written in certain occasions that warranted them being written (this is why they are referred to by biblical scholars as "occasional books").

Therefore, we are abusing the Scriptures if we treat them in a way contrary to their purpose. God did not give us a volume of Dogmatic Theology, but a collection of things written at various times and in various places by the faithful. You do not use a hammer to polish your windows, and we should not use the Scriptures to figure out who is going to attack America next, or decide who to marry.

The way that Catholics (should) view the Scriptures is very different from the way that protestants do. We see it with a different purpose and thus seek to show respect to it in a way that prevents us from imagining that we can know perfectly the mind of God if we just figure out the definition of a particular Greek word. Yet, today many Catholics swing too far in the other direction. They will frequently neglect the reading of the Bible. The Church has always said that Catholics should read the Bible, frequently and regularly. We do not have to have the grace of perfect interpretation in order for the Holy Spirit to enlighten our hearts with His truth.

As one of our ancient English prayers says: "let us read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest" the Word of God.